Door latch operator



April 1942- J. w. DICKASON 2,278,534

. DOOR LATCH OPERATOR Filed March 5, 1940 2/, /5

ATTORNEYI'.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR LATQH OPERATOR John W. Dickason, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 5, 1940, Serial No. 322,371

'7 Claims.

My invention pertains to a door latch operator and more particularly to a safety door handle for automobiles and other vehicles.

It is an object of my invention to provide a safety door handle for automobiles and other vehicles which is conveniently accessible for use and which presents a minimum of external projection, thus minimizing the danger to pedestrians and causing less undesirable air resistance and noises.

It is also an object of my invention to provide such a safety door handle which may be conveniently installed on either the inside or the outside of doors. The handle may fit on a fiat, or normally curved or a depressed outer panel to harmonize with any stream-line design and may form a continuation of the moulding, if used with a moulding.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a door latch operator comprising an elongated handle which is pivotally hinged on the outer end of a slidable shaft which controls a latch and so arranged that the latch is operated by a succession of movements consisting of a swinging or pivotal movement of the handle, drawing the sliding pivot shaft out through the hinged connection, followed by a rotary movement of the handle for rotating the shaft.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a door latch operator comprising, a shaft which is rotatable for controlling the latch memher, and the shaft also being slidably journalled through the door panel, a spring continuously biasing the shaft to slide inwardly into the panel for drawing the handle in, means including abutting engageable camming surfaces for restoring the handle to a normal horizontal spaced position on the panel and for locking it to resist rotation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a.

door handle assembly which is made primarily in two parts, the door handle and the escutcheon plate, said two parts being held together under tension by a spring.

My door handle extends out from the door panel to be grasped by the hand to operate it and a bolt or shaft connects the handle to the door lock. The handle and bolt or shaft are hinged together by a male and female joint and secured with a pin. The pin is held in place by the escutcheon plate. The outward hinging movement of the handle is fixed by a stop on the handle contacting the cut out in an enlarged portion of the shaft. The inward hinging movement of the handle is limited by contact of the inner flat surfaces of the handle with the outer fiat surface of the reduced portion of the escutcheon plate. A locking projection or lug on the handle, which fits into a cut out or slot in the escutcheon plate, prevents the handle from rotating until the door handle has been hinged outwardly. Said projection or lug also prevents the door handle from hinging inward during the rotation of the door handle.

The escutcheon plate is shaped to conform with the base of the door handle, one end being extended to the edge of the door in the shape of the door moulding (if any). A hole in .this plate to accommodate the handle bolt and. act as a bearing for it is so made as to allow variation in aligning the handle bolt with the door lock during assembly. This holeis notched out to fit the locking projection on the handle. The escutcheon plate is fastened to the door panel with two screws, one fiat head type through a countersunk hole in the plate to a nut mounted on a retainer on the inside of the door panel, the other a round head type from the inside of the door into a tapped hole in the moulding shaped part of the escutcheon plate. The head of the flat headed type is covered by the handle in the closed position. 7

The moulding part of the escutcheon plate may be made separate in which case both screws will be flatheaded and screw in from the outside. The head of the second screw will be covered by the moulding which will be screwed from the inside. The purpose of the inside fastening is to prevent the removal of the handle when the door is closed.

The escutcheon plate is assembled to the .door handle by sliding it over the door handle bolt and pressing it against the base of the outside part of the door handle. It is held there by a spring placed behind the plate and around the door handle bolt fastened by a Washer and a pin through the bolt. This spring is made strong enough to hold the door handle firmly against the escutcheon plate, but permits it to be pulled out easily when operated. It is so made that the movement necessary to pull the door handle out will compress the spring coils together. thus limiting further movement of the handle.

This door handle is intended for assembling on either the outside or inside of doors. When used on the inside it will replace the remote .control assembly, and the shape will be changed to conform to the design of the other inside hardware. The connection to the lock will be the same as used on the remote control at present.

The panel on which the handle is placed may be either flat or depressed around the grasping part of the handle. If it is desired to have the grasping part of the handle fiush with the normal surface of the panel, the surface of the door panel will be depressed enough to allow the tips of the fingers to grip the handle. If it is to be used on a fiat panel, this grasping surface of the handle will be placed far enough from the normal surface of the panel for the tips of the fingers to grip the handle. The panel side of the grasping surface will be undercut and shaped in such a manner to keep this distance at a minimum.

This door handle is so designed that it will lie close to the door panel, out of the way, locking the door against accidental release, present a more pleasing appearance by blending with the body moulding, and minimize the severity of accidents caused by pedestrians walking into the side of cars. When used on the inside of doors it will increase the seating room, add to the beauty of the inside fittings, lessen the injuries caused by passengers thrown against the fittings during an accident and do away with doors accidentally opening.

This door handle is operated in the same manner as an ordinary handle, after it has been; pulled out far enough to provide clearance for the fingers of the operator. This movement automatically releases the locking projection, and compresses the escutcheon spring by using the end of the handle nearest the hinge pin as an fulcrum. Then as the entire handle is rotated, with the handle bolt to release the door latch, the handle rides on two contact points on the escutcheon plate; the fulcrum, and the under surface of the handle locking projection. These contact points are so placed, that their path of contact with the escutcheon plate will be covered by the base of the handle when it is released. This is important, should the points leave grease marks or mar the surface of the escutcheon after t' long wear. The movement of the handle bolt to compress the escutcheon spring is absorbed at the door latch end by sliding in the door lock cam. To cut down the resultant wear at this point the handle bolt movement is kept at a minimum. During the rotation of the handle to release the door latch, the handle is held rigidly in its hinged out position. It will not hinge further out because of the stop in the hinge, and

the locking projection prevents it from hingingt in. The escutcheon spring has been compressed to its maximum and so prevents the locking rojection acting as a fulcrum to compress it further. When the door handle is released after opening the door, the handle is prevented from scope of my invention, such as relate to the ar-" rangement, operation and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction, to economies of manufacture and numerous other features, as will be apparent from a consideration of the specification in con- C75 junction with the drawing disclosing specific embodiments of my invention, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the improved door latch operator installed in a door and, by dotted lines, also showing the handle in the lowermost operated position;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevational view of a portion of the door partly broken away to show the handle and associated parts in normal position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, my improved door latch operator is illustratively disclosed as installed on a door comprising, an outer panel I and an inner panel 3 connected by a side flange 5 inclined slightly thereto for abutting the door jam (not shown) when the door is closed in the usual manner. In accordance with the usual practice, a latch member is controlled by a suitable conventional mechanism (not shown) which is actuated by the inner end of a pivot shaft I. In adapting my invention to such a mechanism, the latch controlling pivot shaft I is slidably journaled at its outer end in an aperture 8 in the outer door panel I and the inner end of said shaft is squared for operatively engaging the latch operating mechanism. In usual door operators, the rotation of such a shaft is commonly utilized for actuating the latch controlling mechanism to control the rotation of the latch member, in a well known manner, or in the case of a sliding latch member to control the sliding movement thereof for releasing the door when it is to be opened.

In accordance with my invention, the squared end of the pivot shaft 1 is free to slide back and forth in connection with the latch controlling mechanism and the other end of the shaft is provided with an enlarged terminal portion 9 which is bifurcated at the outer end (see Fig. 4) where it is journalled in a suitable aperture I0 provided in the escutcheon or panel plate II. The escutcheon or panel plate I I fits flush upon the outer surface of the panel I and is provided with an annular collar I3 which seats in the aperture 8 in said outer panel I around the outer end of the pivot shaft which is j ournalled therein.

The escutcheon or panel plate I I extends along the outer surface of the panel I and is provided with a thick end piece I2 on one end thereof. The escutcheon or panel plate II is attached to the panel I by means of a screw I5 passing through the thin part of the plate II from the outside and having the screwhead counter-sunk therein. A nut I7 is provided on the inserted end of the screw abutting the inside of the panel I to secure the plate II. A second screw I9 is provided for clamping the other end of thepanel plate, for which purpose the screw is inserted from inside of the panel I and passes outwardly through an aperture in the panel into a suitably threaded aperture in the thick portion I2 of the escutcheon or panel plate II.

In accordance with my invention, I provide an elongated handle 2| which is hinged or pivotally connected for swinging movement on the outer end of the pivot shaft 1. For this purpose the handle is provided with a pivot lug 23' adapted to fit into the slot formed between the bifurcated portions in the outer enlarged end 9 of the pivot shaft I. A pivot pin 25 passes through the pivot lug 23 of the handle 2| and into the adjacent split portions of the pivot shaft 1 for securing these parts together in hinged relation (see Fig. 4). Surrounding the outer end of the enlarged portion 9 of the pivot shaft 1, the inside of the handle member is provided with flat plane .surfaces which are adapted to abut the flat outer surfaces of the surrounding portion of the escutcheon or panel plate II. The handle 2| is provided with a curved portion extending gracefully from one side of the pivot connection to a remote point on the other side thereof in a generally arcuate, stream-lined conformation, slightly and suitably spaced from the panel for permitting the finger tips to push it out for manipulation thereof. The outer end of the elongated handle is squared off to match the adjacent end of the moulding member, if the car is provided with a moulding; and the width of the handle is made similar to the moulding so that when the handle rests in normal position, it presents a smooth matched symmetrical appearance therewith. For normally drawing the fiat inner surfaces 2'! of the handle 2| snugly against the flat surrounding surfaces of the escutcheon or panel plate II, a compression spring 28 is provided in concentric relation on the enlarged outer end of the pivot shaft 1. The outer end of the spring 29 acts against the annular collar 13 projecting in from the panel plate II,

and the innermost end of the spring reacts against a washer 3| disposed on the shaft 1 where it is secured in any suitable manner, as by a pin 33 and the shoulder of the shaft. Also by securing the ends of the compression spring in anchored relation to the shaft and the stationary panel plate H, the spring may additionally serve to restore the pivot shaft by rotation to a predetermined angular position, as will be understood, but usually the latch actuating mechanism is provided with a spring which unaided has sufficient strength for this purpose.

For locking the handle 2| automatically against rotation when in its normal position as it is drawn in toward the door panel I I provide a slot 35 cut in the panel plate II from the aperture in which the outer end of the pivot shaft 1 is journalled. This slot 35 extends a short distance from the shaft toward the countersunk screw-head in the panel plate I l The lower side of the slot is bevelled, or rounded, to form a smooth camming surface. Projecting from the flat abutting surface on the handle is a lug 31, here shown as a continuation of the handle pivot lug 23, which is adapted to fit into the slot 35 in the panel plate II. The lug 31 is provided with a bevelled, or rounded, lower outer edge, which is adapted to cooperate with a smooth camming action on the bevelled or rounded camming on the slot as the parts move into interlocked relation. This action aids in restoring the elongated handle 2| to a normal horizontal position as it is drawn toward the door by the compression spring 29, and the lug 31, then being in the slot 35, locks the handle against rotation until the handle is swung on its hinged pivot from its normal position to the outward or operative position.

The outward movement of the elongated handle member 2! as it swings on the end of the pivot shaft 1 is limited by a planar surface of the handle pivot lug 23 contacting a similar planar surface of the cut out portion at the base of the bifurcation of enlarged portion 9 of shaft 1. The side of lug 23 is preferably arcuate as it leads to the extension lug 3?, otherwise. it would have to be cut to any formtope'rmit it to pivot on pivot pin 25. As the handle is swung outwardly, it functions as a lever, drawing the-shaft out, the inner end of the shoulder acting as the fulcrum on the panel plate H.v When the handle is restored to its normal position with the fiat inner surfaces thereof in abutting engagement with the fiat surfaces on the plate II, a spaced aperture is open between the thick portion of the plate H and the fulcrum end of the handle.

In operation the door latch operator handle 21 is first swung outwardly. This rocking motion of the handle 2| causes it to act as a lever with the inner edge of the flat surface adjacent the thick portion of the panel plate H acting as a fulcrum and the pivot pin 25 drawing the pivot shaft 1, causing it to slide outwardly. This outward movement of the free end of the handle 2! and of the shaft 1 is continued until the handle is moved outwardly far enough to disengage the handle lug 31 out of the slot 35 of the panel plate ll. When this has occurred, the elongated handle 2| is then rotated or swung downwardly on the end of the pivot shaft as the axis of rotation. This rotates the pivot shaft, the squared end of which actuates any latch controlling means with which it is connected, to release the rotatable latch cog wheel, as shown, or to withdraw the slidable latch, if used with such a construction. The door is then drawn open by the handle.

When the door is closed and the handle is released, the compression spring on the pivot shaft draws the handle 2| in toward the door panel I, the rounded surfaces on lug 3'! engaging upon the rounded lower edge surfaces of the slot 35 in the panel plate H and guiding the lug into said slot. This restores the elongated handle member 2| to a normal horizontal position which will, at the same time, draw it in to a position adjacent to the outer surface of the panel I of the ,door. This also serves to restore the handle to a symmetrical matched relation with the moulding strip, if it is used with a moulding strip.

The thin end portion of the panel plate 1 l is made of a suitable thickness and width to match the moulding strip when used with such an installation. When installed upon a door where there is no moulding strip to be matched, the outer end of the handle is preferably bevelled off to a smooth rounded conformation. It will be seen that when the handle is restored to normal position, it can not then be turned without first drawing it outwardly, which provides an additional safety feature. In normal position, the handle, while conveniently accessible for opening, presents a minimum of external projection, causing less air resistance or noises and minimizing the danger to adjacent pedestrians.

It is apparent that within the scope of the invention modifications and different arrangements may be made other than herein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

I claim:

1. A door operator comprising a latch operating shaft adapted to be slidably and rotatively journalled in a door panel and extending to the inside thereof, an elongated handle hinged upon the outer end of the shaft and having one end adapted to act as a fulcrum against a portion of said panel, means for holding the handle sufficiently spaced from the door panel when in normal position to assure convenient manipulation thereof, a spring for continuously biasing the shaft to slide inwardly, and a projection on the inner side of said handle adapted to fit into a depression in said door panel when the handle is in normal position.

2. A door latch operator comprising, a latch operating shaft, an elongated handle hinged upon the outer end of the shaft to be disposed adjacent the outside of the panel of a door on which it may be installed, an escutcheon plate to be mounted on'a door panel in which the latch operator is installed, cooperatively engageable plane surfaces therebetween for maintaining the handle in a normal position adjacent the door panel but sufficiently spaced therefrom for convenient manipulation, a single spring for continuously biasing the shaft to slide inwardly for drawing the handle in toward the panel of a door on which it is installed to cooperatively engage the surfaces and to restore the handle to a normal position, and interengageable depression and projection means between said surfaces for interlocking to resist rotation of the handle while in a normal retracted position, the portion of the handle at the inner end of its plane surface acting as a fulcrum when the handle is manual- 1y swung outwardly and when the spring pulls the handle back to normal position.

3. A door latch operator comprising, a latch operating shaft, an elongated handle hinged upon the outer end of the shaft to be adjacent the outside of a door panel wherein it may be installed, cam surfaces on the inner side of said handle, a cam surface cooperatively engaged therewith, a single spring for continuously biasing the shaft to slide inwardly drawing the cam surfaces into engagement torestore the handle to a normal position and to resist rotation of the handle while in the normal position.

4. A door latch operator comprising, a latch operating shaft, an elongated handle hinged upon the outer end of the shaft to be disposed adjacent the outside of a door panel whereon it may be installed, an escutcheon plate surround- 5. A door latch operator having in combination,

a latch operating shaft, a panel plate mountable upon the outer surface of a door panel and having an aperture opening therethrough and adapted to be aligned with an aperture in the door panel, the outer end of said shaft being journalled for slidable and rotative movement in the aperture in said plate, an elongated handle pivotally connected on the outer end of said shaft, said connection being so constructed and arranged that the handle acts as a lever to draw the shaft outwardly upon swinging the handle outwardly, a spring concentrically disposed on said slidable shaft for drawing it inwardly and thereby swinging the handle to normal position, said hinged handle having flat surfaces disposed for abutting the outer surface of the panel plate to position the handle suitably spaced from the panel when the shaft is drawn inwardly by the spring, and said panel plate and said handle having interengageable interlocking portions disposed for interengagement to lock the handle against rotation when in the normal position.

6. A door latch operator having in combination, a shaft actuable by rotation for controlling a latch member, a panel plate mountable on the outer surface of a door panel and having an aperture opening to be aligned with an aperture in a door panel, the outer end of said shaft being journalled for slidable and rotative movement in said aperture, an elongated handle pivotally connected on the outer end of said shaft as a lever for drawing the shaft outwardly, a spring concentrically disposed on said slidable shaft for drawing it inwardly and thereby swinging the handle back to normal position, said hinged handle having flat surfaces disposed for abutting the outer surface of the panel plate to position the handle suitably spaced from a door panel when the shaft is drawn inwardly by the spring, a slot in said panel plate opening from said aperture under the adjacent portion of the handle, a lug projecting from the handle to enter said slot, and said slot and lug having smoothly rounded portions forming engageable cam surfaces for guiding the handle to a normal horizontal position as it is drawn toward the panel by the spring biased shaft.

'7. A door latch operator having in combination, a shaft rotatable for controlling a door latch, a panel plate having an aperture and adapted to be mounted on a door panel in aligned relation with an aperture therein, the outer end of said shaft being journalled for slidable and rotative movement in said aperture, an elongated handle pivotally connected on the outer end of said shaft as a lever for drawing the shaft outwardly, a spring operatively connected with said slidable shaft for drawing it inwardly and thereby swinging the handle back to normal position, said hinged handle having fiat surfaces disposed for abutting the outer surface of the panel plate to position the handle suitably spaced from a door panel when the shaft is drawn inwardly by the spring, a slot in said panel plate opening under the adjacent portion of the handle, a lug projecting from the handle to enter said slot, and said slot and lug having smoothly rounded portions forming engageable cam surfaces for guiding the handle to a normal horizontal position as it is drawn toward the panel by the spring biased shaft,

JOHN W. DICKASON. 

